More than a test subject (OUAH)
by J-Farraday
Summary: When a violent snowy storm rises, Frisk stays the night at her boyfriend Papyrus' place. But she quickly finds out that the skeleton isn't comfortable with removing his gloves in her presence… Can Frisk help Papyrus with his insecurities? (This story features Handplates!Papyrus. It's slightly angsty, yet very loving.)


**Okay, time to post another of my one-shots! Like usual, it's a prequel to my "Once Upon A Handplate" fanfiction. But you can still read and enjoy it as its own thing. Keep in mind that it's an AU of "Handplates", and Gaster hadn't been erased. So, it's normal that Papyrus remembers the events of it.**

**And yes, in this AU Papyrus and Frisk are dating. If you don't like the ship, please be considerate and don't leave mean comments. **

**Disclaimer: I own Nothing. "Undertale" and its characters belong to Toby Fox. "Handplates" belongs to Zarla. **

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It was a late evening of a winter day. It was dark and cold outside, so staying in a warm house was the most welcome thing at the moment. It was especially the case for Frisk, who was currently dining in Papyrus and Sans' house. The fact that she was having a good time with her boyfriend (and his brother) made the stay inside even more pleasant. Frisk also noted that Papyrus significantly improved his cooking over the years, which was thanks to Toriel. Undyne definitely wasn't the person to teach something as delicate as cooking. Toriel was a different story and thus, Papyrus really became, if not equally then close enough, as good as her. And that evening, since his girlfriend was dining at his place, Papyrus gave his best shot. It has been a month since they started to date. Everything seemed to be well in their young relationship, and Sans approved it. Sans did warn Frisk though, that if she ever broke Papyrus' heart, he would __not__ let that go. That dark and unpleasant moment aside, Sans was okay with that new relationship his brother was in. As long as it kept being this way, he could relax.  
After spending a good evening with Papyrus and Sans, Frisk decided that it was time for her to go back home, as it was getting quite late. She opened the front door but she was immediately greeted by a loud howl of the wind and a blurred by snow vision. Frisk didn't waste time to close the door.  
"what's wrong, frisk?" - Sans asked.  
"It looks like there's a violent storm outside…" - Frisk answered.  
"THERE IS..!" - Papyrus confirmed as he looked through the window - "YOU CAN'T SEE ANYTHING! NOT EVEN THE STREET LAMPS!"  
Sans and Frisk approached to have look through the window and saw by themselves that there was indeed a snowy storm and that nothing but swirling snowflakes could be seen outside.  
"that's pretty violent…" - Sans commented - "i don't recall the last time there was one of those storms."  
"I DON'T EITHER."  
Papyrus and Frisk then each got a notification on their phone. It was a post from Alphys on the social media.  
****"OMG, looks like the Snow Queen lets it go after a long slumber! Stay inside everybody, if you wanna live! D:"****  
A geeky way to phrase the danger, but it was clear that not putting even a foot outside was the best thing to do. There was a problem, though.  
"How am I going to go home then?" - Frisk asked.  
"YOU COULD STAY THE NIGHT." - Papyrus quickly came out with a solution.  
"W-what?"  
"AS YOUR BOYFRIEND, I CAN'T ALLOW YOU TO EXPOSE YOURSELF TO DANGER! TO PROTECT YOU FROM THE SCARY STORM, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL MAKE MY ROOM YOURS FOR TONIGHT!" - Papyrus declared with his usual proud tone.  
"I... I appreciate your concern for me…" - Frisk said with a light pink blush - "But uh… if I take your room, where will you sleep?"  
"DON'T WORRY FOR ME, FRISK." - Papyrus replied with a smile - "I'LL JUST SLEEP ON THE COUCH."  
"What? No! I should be the one to sleep on the couch…!" - Frisk immediately protested.  
"NO, YOU MUST SLEEP ON A BED!" - Papyrus argued back - "YOU'RE MY GIRLFRIEND, SO ONLY THE BEST FOR YOU!"  
"aw, aren't you so cute you two?" - Sans commented, then said to Frisk - "don't argue against my bro, he made up his mind. so just enjoy his bed while you can, kid!"  
Sans said the last part with a teasing wink, after what Frisk's face heated up and she yelled:  
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean? What are you implying?"  
"me? nothing." - Sans replied with a shrug - "okay, i'm **_**bone**_**-tired, see ya in the morning."  
At those words, he teleported away to his bedroom. Papyrus then turned to Frisk and said:  
"YOU SHOULD WARN YOUR PARENTS THAT YOU'RE STAYING HERE."  
"Right, or they'll get worried…" - Frisk agreed.  
She then started to dial Toriel's number, while Papyrus went upstairs. It didn't take too long before Toriel answered the call. Frisk explained the situation, and Toriel could only agree that her daughter shouldn't walk back to New Home through a storm.  
"I heard about the storm." - Toriel said seriously - "I peeked outside to see it by myself and I can tell it'll probably last for a few hours. You made a wise decision to stay in Papyrus' house."  
"So, you're really okay with that?" - Frisk asked her mother.  
"Of course, my child. I don't want you to get hurt or lost, or catch a cold. Besides…" - Toriel paused, then pursued with a smile - "...I'm glad Papyrus is so caring of you. It's a very good sign for your relationship."  
"I'm with your mother on that one." - Asgore's voice suddenly got heard, as he seemed to have taken the cellphone from Toriel's hand - "Genuine care is essential for a lasting relationship. So, I'm only for you staying at his house during a stormy winter night. We'll provide you your toothbrush and PJs through the dimentional box."  
"Thank you, Dad."  
"But even though I allow you to stay at Papyrus' house… I expect you to not do __certain things__." - Asgore said with fatherly authority.  
Asgore was definitely getting in his "protective dad" mode. Frisk's face flushed as she caught what her father was implying. She let out an embarrassed moan, saying:  
"Daaaad..! Why you'd even think-... We're dating for merely a month!"  
"I'm glad you're a reasonable young woman." - Asgore replied, sounding kind of relieved - "I'm proud of you, keep on this way."  
"Anyway, have a good night, Frisk." - Toriel said on her turn.  
"But not a __too good__ night, alright?" - Asgore said with that tone of authority again.  
"Gorey, stop it, already! She said she won't!" - Toriel scolded him - "See you tomorrow, Frisk."  
"Yeah, see you tomorrow…" - Frisk replied - "Good night Mom, Dad."  
After that, the conversation ended and Frisk let out a sigh, recovering from her embarrassement. But her relief was short lived. Moments later, Frisk got a notification indicating that her dimentional box received two items. But there was also a text from Toriel, that said:  
****"But if you surrender to temptation, don't worry. I won't tell your father. ;)"****  
"Really Mom?" - Frisk whined in disbelief, her face getting all red again.  
"WHAT'S WRONG, FRISK?" - Papyrus said from upstairs - "YOU HAVE A WEIRD EXPRESSION."  
"Oh, it's uh... nothing important, haha." - Frisk replied a bit nervously, then she proceeded to walk up the stairs - "Anyway, Mom sent me my PJs through the dimentional box, so I have everything for the night!"  
"THAT'S GOOD." - Papyrus said - "IT'S ALWAYS BETTER TO SLEEP IN YOUR OWN."  
He and Frisk both entered his bedroom. Papyrus then took his own PJs that were lying neatly folded on his bed and said:  
"SO, I'LL LEAVE YOU THE SPACE. YOU HAVE THE ROOM FOR YOURSELF FOR THE WHOLE NIGHT, AND EVEN IN THE MORNING AS LONG AS YOU WANT! I PROMISE YOU I'LL LET YOU SLEEP AS LONG AS YOU NEED."  
Papyrus knew that Frisk was more of a sleeper than he was, so he knew that coming in her room and waking her at a very early hour wouldn't be very nice.  
"Thanks for your hospitality, Papyrus." - Frisk said with a smile.  
"YOU'RE WELCOME. LIKE I SAID, ONLY THE BEST FOR YOU!" - Papyrus replied, returning the smile - "ALRIGHT, I SHALL GO NOW. HAVE A GOOD NIGHT AND PLEASANT DREAMS."  
Papyrus then turned around and walked up to the door. He was about to leave but then…  
"Wait!" - Frisk stopped him, a bit louder than she intended - "I mean, um…"  
"YES?" - Papyrus asked as he turned around - "IS THERE ANYTHING YOU NEED?"  
"I, uh… not really, I was just thinking…" - Frisk started, not daring to look him in the eyes - "Maybe we could… perhaps… share the bed..?"  
A short pause followed her words. Papyrus' eyes glowed pink for a brief moment, then he said:  
"YOU WANT ME TO SLEEP IN THE BED WITH YOU..?"  
"Y-yes..?" - Frisk replied as her cheeks heated - "I mean… I don't want you to sleep on the couch, and… I just thought it would be nice to cuddle with you while we sleep… and I want to know what it's like to wake up next to you…"  
"OH... WELL, I AM VERY FLATTERED..." - Papyrus said with a light blush - "BUT, UH..."  
"But it was just my thought. If you don't want to, I understand…"  
"IT'S NOT THAT I DON'T WANT TO. IN FACT, I LIKE YOUR SUGGESTION." - Papyrus said - "IT'S JUST THAT…"  
Papyrus didn't pursue and was rubbing his right hand as he spoke. Frisk thought that he was maybe just a bit embarrassed. But it was such a nice occasion, she didn't want to miss it. So, she came up with an idea that would surely change his mind. Confidence returning, Frisk said with a small grin:  
"If you stay here with me… in the morning, I'll shower you with kisses."  
"OKAY THEN! I'LL SHARE THE BED WITH YOU, MY HUMAN!" - Papyrus exclaimed with a beaming expression.  
His enthousiasm returned in no time after Frisk's words. The human got a victorious smile on her face. After that, Frisk went in the bathroom, where she put on her PJs and brushed her teeth. A few minutes later, she returned to the bedroom, where Papyrus was already lying under the blanket. He smiled at her when she returned, after what Frisk slid down under the blanket right next to him. When she got close to him, Papyrus wrapped his arms around her, making her sigh in contentment. Frisk laid her head on his shoulder and the two sat there in silence for a moment.  
"It feels nice..." - Frisk remarked with a smile - "Does it feel nice to you too?"  
"YES, IT DOES." - Papyrus answered with a nod - "WHATEVER THE CIRCUMSTANCES ARE, I LOVE TO HAVE YOU IN MY ARMS."  
Frisk giggled a little at this and returned the hug. Then, Frisk noticed something that was a bit strange. Even though Papyrus was fully changed into his PJs, he still kept his gloves on. Frisk looked up at him and asked:  
"Do you sleep with your gloves on?"  
"...I DON'T... USUALLY..." - Papyrus answered nervously.  
"So why don't you remove then? Your hands will be more comfortable with your gloves off."  
"NNNNN... NO, I'M FINE THAT WAY." - Papyrus avoided his girlfriend's gaze.  
"Papyrus... Come on, your hands need to relax too." - Frisk insisted.  
The skeleton didn't reply anything to this. After a moment, he sighed and complied to Frisk's request. Papyrus first removed the left glove, quickly sliding it off his hand and tossing it aside. But when it came to the right glove… he hesitated.  
"I have seen it once before, you know." - Frisk pointed out softly.  
Gathering his courage, Papyrus finally removed the glove, tossing it next to the other one. The handplate on his hand was no longer covered. Papyrus was about to slide his hand under the blanket, but Frisk stopped him before he could do so, taking the hand in her own.  
"Papyrus, you don't want me to see the handplate?" - Frisk asked.  
"I... I DON'T." - Papyrus admitted, looking away - "I DON'T WANT IT TO BE IN YOUR SIGHT."  
"But why? I've already seen it once and I know what it is. So why do you insist on hiding it from me?"  
"F-FOR THE SAME REASON I DON'T WANT TO LOOK AT IT MYSELF..!" - Papyrus said - "THE HANDPLATE IS A REMINDER OF WHAT HAPPENED IN THE TRUE LAB, OF THE PAIN MY BROTHER AND I WENT THROUGH... IT WAS MEANT TO LABEL US AS 'THINGS'..."  
Frisk gently rubbed the right hand, listening patiently. But despite this, Papyrus still refused to look her in the eyes as he kept going.  
"I'VE BEEN A TEST SUBJECT... I WAS CREATED IN A __LAB__ TO BE JUST THAT… I HIDE THE HANDPLATE FROM PEOPLE TO AVOID AWKWARD QUESTIONS, I SORT OF MOVED ON FROM MY PAST… OR AT LEAST, I LEARNED TO NOT THINK ABOUT IT. DO YOU UNDERSTAND? I DON'T WANT YOU TO SEE THE HANDPLATE SO YOU WOULDN'T THINK ABOUT MY PAST TOO."  
Papyrus paused for a moment and Frisk could tell that there was more that he wanted to say on the matter. So, she just waited for him to continue. It didn't take long until he did.  
"I DON'T WANT YOU TO SEE ME AS WHAT I WAS. I DON'T WANT YOU TO LOOK AT __THAT THING__ AND SEE ME AS A TEST SUBJECT... I COULD NOT BEAR THIS. I DON'T WANT YOU, OUT OF ALL PEOPLE, TO SEE ME THAT WAY... I REALLY DON'T WANT THAT. I JUST WANT US TO BE HAPPY TOGETHER. I WANT YOU TO SEE ME AS THE COOL GUY YOU MET IN SNOWDIN... AS A __PERSON__."  
"Papyrus... I am looking at the handplate right now." - Frisk said, firming her grip on the skeleton's right hand - "And that doesn't alter my vision of you in any way."  
Papyrus finally dared to look at Frisk. He saw that she had a determined look, yet full of sympathy and love. Frisk squeezed his hand some more and she pursued:  
"I already knew about the handplate, and the circumstances of your crea-... __birth__. Yet, it didn't repulse me, nor did it prevent me from wanting to date you. The knowledge of what you went through in the True Lab didn't alter my feelings for you. Nor does the handplate."  
Then, to prove her point, she brought Papyrus hand closer to her face to… give it a kiss. The gesture surprised and puzzled Papyrus.  
"H-HUMAN..?"  
"You're much more than a test subject, Papyrus." - Frisk said, before kissing the hand again - "You're a very great person. And the best boyfriend in he world."  
Frisk pressed aonther kiss to the spot between the bony finger and the metallic plate. Papyrus was blushing lightly at the sight of Frisk's soft lips pressed against the reminder of his sad past. The human then looked up at him and said:  
"Handplate or not, I will never think any less of you. The handplate doesn't make you look like a test subject to my eyes. In fact, it only proves how strong and great you are."  
"IT DOES..? HOW SO?"  
"The handplate represents what you've been through. And yet, despite all that, you manage to stay positive, to have faith, to keep smiling… In my opinion, it's the greatest form of strength. You're strong by your spirit. Because all the bad things that happened to you couldn't break you. Not many people have that ability to overcome hardships of life."  
"WELL... I KNOW ONE PERSON LIKE THAT." - Papyrus said with a serene expression.  
"Let me guess, your own reflection?" - Frisk joked.  
"NO..." - Papyrus shook his head with a smile - "IT'S YOU."  
"M-me?" - Frisk asked, surprised by Papyrus' statement - "Oh no, I'm nothing like you…"  
"YES, YOU ARE. YOU WENT THROUGH MANY SCARY THINGS TOO AND YET, YOU'RE AS GOOD AS THE DAY I MET YOU!"  
"Aw Papyrus, I'm supposed to lift your spirits up now, not the other way round..!" - Frisk said, unable to suppress a giggle.  
"AND YOU SUCCEEDED." - Papyrus replied, before giving her a chaste kiss on the lips.  
Frisk moaned a bit into the kiss, before wrapping her arms around Papyrus.  
"I LOVE YOU, HUMAN..." - he whipsered against her lips - "AND THANK YOU… FOR LOVING ME DESPITE THE HANDPLATE."  
"How could I not? You're the greatest." - Frisk replied - "It's your actions that define who you are… not some handplate."  
It was now Frisk's turn to kiss him. No more words were exchanged, the two kept granting each other kisses for a while, until they decided it was quite late and that they should sleep. When they switched to a lying position, Frisk asked:  
"Will you still let me sleep?"  
"BUT OF COURSE, HUMAN." - Papyrus replied with a tender smile.  
"And will you stay in the bed until I wake up?"  
"I WILL. AFTER ALL, YOU OWE ME THE KISSES YOU PROMISED ME."  
Frisk chuckled at Papyrus' words then closed her eyes, letting out a relaxed sigh. It didn't take long until she fell asleep. Papyrus brought her closer to him and started to stroke her hair. It took him much longer to fall asleep on his turn, so he spent the time to admire her. Papyrus definitely loved her to share his bed… as well as his life.

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**A/N: This one-shot is the first Papyrisk story that actually addresses the "Handplates"/True Lab events... Anyway, i****t takes place one month after the one-shot called "Confession". I wanted it to be a mix of goof and angst. I hope I managed this odd mix quite right. ^^**


End file.
